Ann Peach Joyce

Ann Peach Joyce

05/20/1941 – 11/28/2024

Della “Ann” Peach Hudson Joyce, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully on November 28, 2024, surrounded by her loving family in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. 

Ann was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 20, 1941. Ann’s family moved to Miami, Florida when she was in her teens. She graduated from Coral Gables High school where she met her first husband, Chuck Hudson. After graduating and marrying, Ann worked as a bank teller. She fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams, giving birth to the first of what would become four children. Ann is very open about the deep love she holds for them in heart.

There is no denying Ann’s adventurous spirit, which guided her to taking the family on many camping trips. She enjoyed catching fish with a beach seine net with family and friends. One of Ann’s achievements was to learn how to fly, which eventually led her to become a Link Simulator Instructor at Fort Stewart’s Military Base. 

Later, Ann found love again with Charles Joyce. Together, they embarked on a life filled with love and family. They shared a love for the mountains, settling in Waynesboro, Virginia, where Ann opened two successful Daylight Doughnut shops. Her warm personality and delicious treats made her a beloved figure in the community. Ann and Charles would later make their residency in Apex, North Carolina to be closer to family. They would later retire in the mountains in the sweet town of West Jefferson, North Carolina. They were also members of the West Jefferson United Methodist Church.

Ann and Charles dedicated their lives to watching their children, grandchildren, and eventually great-grandchildren grow up. They were the best Mimi and Pappy anyone could have wished for. Ann was a devoted mother, grandmother, and animal lover. She had a green thumb, and she loved to garden. She enjoyed reading and being surrounded by her books. Her legacy of love, kindness, and resilience will live on in the hearts of her family and friends. 

Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Joyce; her parents, Ruby and Andrew Peach; her infant brother, Ronald Peach; her son, Charlie Hudson, and her granddaughters, Lauren and Heather Raym. 

She is survived by her devoted and loving children: Tammy Wright (Billy) of North Carolina, Teresa Moylan (Paul) of Massachusetts, Nick Hudson (Lucrezia) of Delaware, and a daughter by marriage, Caroline Hudson-Rowley (Pat) of New York; her loving brother, Donald Peach (Anita) of North Carolina, She had three daughters by marriage; Chris Joyce Brian (Scott), Kathy Joyce Stanley and Kelly Joyce Ramsey of North Carolina. Ann also adored her 15 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

Ann will be deeply missed. We are grateful she is in heaven in the presence of God and is in everlasting peace. But we are strengthened by Ann’s faith and knowing that faith, we know she is with Him.

The family will be having a Celebration of Her life in North Carolina in the spring.